A widespread and unannounced power outage that plunged parts of Bossier and Caddo parishes into darkness over the weekend drew sharp criticism from state officials during a tense news conference Tuesday at Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell’s Shreveport office.
The emergency blackout on Saturday, April 26, left approximately 30,000 residents without electricity for hours, hitting Bossier Parish especially hard. Officials from both the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) and SWEPCO — the power provider for northwestern Louisiana — admitted misjudgments in power forecasting and transmission readiness, pointing to maintenance-related generation gaps and unexpectedly high demand.
“This was a failure. Full stop,” said Commissioner Campbell, flanked by SPP President and CEO Lanny Nickell and SWEPCO President Brett Mattison. “People’s businesses suffered. Families suffered. I’m not here to defend these guys — I’m here to make sure they clean up their mess and prevent the next one.”
According to Mattison, the outage hit hardest in Bossier Parish because of “low voltage problems” specific to that region — an outcome of inadequate local generation and transmission limitations. SWEPCO followed emergency directives from SPP to shed 140 megawatts of load — roughly 30,000 customers — in an effort to prevent a larger, cascading grid failure.
“Had we not acted, we could have seen up to 300,000 people affected,” Mattison explained, defending the last-resort “rolling load shed” action that rotated outages in areas where grid strain was greatest.
But Bossier residents and business owners are demanding answers — and restitution. Local restaurants and shops took to social media over the weekend with complaints of spoiled food, lost sales, and frustrated customers.
Campbell echoed their outrage: “Bossier Parish didn’t cause this problem, but they paid the highest price. I believe those affected deserve compensation.”
Nickell acknowledged that SPP’s forecasting fell short. Long-term weather projections made months in advance had suggested cooler, rainier conditions — forecasts used by SWEPCO to schedule plant maintenance. Instead, Saturday saw temperatures near 90°F, driving up air conditioning use and stressing an already limited power grid.
“It was hotter than expected, and we weren’t ready,” said Nickell. “I deeply regret the outage. It should not have happened, and we take full responsibility.”
SPP had also approved maintenance for critical generating units based on those mild forecasts. With multiple plants offline, and demand spiking, SPP determined that shedding load in northwest Louisiana was the only way to stabilize the grid — a “localized problem,” Nickell emphasized, that wouldn’t have been helped by cutting power elsewhere in the 14-state SPP territory.
The bigger question on many minds: What happens this summer?
With forecasts of 100+ degree heat and a growing power demand — especially with major data centers like Meta’s Ruston facility soon to come online — both officials warned of continued vulnerability.
“We’re not making promises,” Mattison said. “We’re making preparations. If we have 60 or more days over 100°, we’ll be issuing conservation alerts.”
Nickell added that generators offline now are expected back in service within weeks, and that new generation projects are in development — though major additions, including a natural gas plant planned by SWEPCO, won’t come online until 2027.
Campbell, a longtime advocate for renewable energy, pointed to new developments like a 1,000-acre solar farm in north Caddo Parish, but acknowledged that grid stability remains a challenge in the face of increasing demand and slow infrastructure growth.
Campbell called for a public explanation and demanded that SWEPCO and SPP appear at a May 19 Public Service Commission meeting in Lafayette.
He made it clear that the utility regulators would not hesitate to take punitive action if improvements aren’t made.
“I don’t work for SWEPCO or SPP,” Campbell said. “I grade their papers. And Saturday? That was an ‘F.’ If this happens again, we can — and will — fine the hell out of them.”
Mattison encouraged customers to sign up for alerts and keep their contact information up to date. But residents like those in Bossier Parish want more than notifications — they want assurances that their lights will stay on when the heat bears down again.
“We can’t fix this overnight,” said Nickell. “But we’re committed to doing better.”